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Another bombshell report rocks world athletics

Former world athletics president Lamine Diack was responsible for the corruption at the ruling athletics body and his successor Sebastian Coe must also have been aware of the schemes and doping practices in Russia, according to a bombshell new WADA report.

Jan 15, 2016, updated Jan 15, 2016
Former IAAF president Lamine Diack poses with Australia's World Champion Sally Pearson and Liu Xiang of China in 2012. Photo: TOLGA BOZOGLU, EPA.

Former IAAF president Lamine Diack poses with Australia's World Champion Sally Pearson and Liu Xiang of China in 2012. Photo: TOLGA BOZOGLU, EPA.

The report, published and presented overnight by an independent commission of WADA, also said that “there was an evident lack of political appetite within the IAAF to confront Russia with the full extent of its known and suspected doping activities.”

The 89-page report is named Russia “a doping haven” and said the IAAF had inadequate governance processes in place to prevent the corruption that occurred when athletes paid bribes to cover up positive doping tests.

Commission chairman Dick Pound presented the report, along with Canadian legal counsel Richard McLaren and Guenter Younger, head of the cyber-crime department of a German regional police office.

Coe was in attendance at the news conference in a Munich hotel, which attracted huge media attention, and French prosecutors who are also investigating were present as well.

epa05101812 Richard Pound (C), head of the independent commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and members of the commission Richard H. McLaren (L), and Guenter Younger, hold a press conference in Unterschleissheim, Germany, 14 January 2016. At the press conference, the independent commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) presented the second part of its report on the doping and corruption scandal in international athletics. EPA/SVEN HOPPE

Richard Pound (centre), head of the independent WADA commission, presents the second part of his athletics doping report, with members Richard H. McLaren and Guenter Younger. Photo: SVEN HOPPE, EPA.

Coe was a member of the decision-making IAAF council as a vice-president between 2007 and 2015 before succeeding Lamine Diack as president.

But Pound insisted that “I can’t think of anyone better than Coe to lead” and said the case offered “a fantastic opportunity” for the sport to clean up.

Pound spoke of “institutional knowledge of troubles with Russia” and McLaren said the case was “beyond sporting corruption” and rather “criminal corruption.”

The report said that Diack created an inner circle “which filtered and funnelled communications to and from senior IAAF staff, ultimately functioning as an informal illegitimate governance structure outside the formal IAAF governance structure … when it came to dealing with anti-doping matters related to Russian track and field athletes.”

The circle included his sons, Papa Masada Diack and Khalil Diack, and his legal counsel Habib Cisse. Now resigned IAAF anti-doping department director Gabriel Dolle was also involved.

The report added to a first from November after which Russia was suspended from the IAAF over widespread doping.

Its athletes could miss competing at the summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and Russia’s anti-doping agency and Moscow laboratory were also suspended.

Last week, the IAAF ethics committee banned for life the former IAAF marketing consultant Papa Massata Diack; former IAAF treasurer and Russian athletics chief Valentin Balakhnichev; and former Russian coach Alexei Menikov. Dolle was banned for five years.

Lamine Diack and his two sons, Cisse and Dolle are also subject of a criminal investigation by French authorities on corruption and covering up of positive doping tests.

Papa Massata Diack is wanted by French authorities via Interpol.

Thursday’s report said Diack “was responsible for organising and enabling the conspiracy and corruption that took place in the IAAF.

-DPA

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